ENCINITAS CRAFTS ARGUMENT OPPOSING RIGHT-TO-VOTE INITIATIVE

Council crafts argument from dais; issue goes to voters in June

The Encinitas City Council took the highly unusual step Wednesday of writing a ballot statement from the dais that spells out the city’s argument against a growth-control initiative that will go to Encinitas voters in June.

As supporters of the Right-to-Vote initiative watched, council members wrote their opposition statement over several hours. They crafted a nearly 300-word statement that declared that the initiative had some good ideas, but could have “adverse consequences” for the city.

Council members debated whether to do the task with the public watching. A council subcommittee tried earlier this month to draft a ballot argument during two public meetings and failed.

On Wednesday night, council members Mark Muir and Kristin Gaspar sought to have the subcommittee meet privately and come up with the ballot argument, which council members would each decide to sign.

“We’ve already let the opposing team into the locker room, but let’s not hand over our playbook,” said Gaspar, who served with Mayor Teresa Barth on the subcommittee.

But Barth, who has campaigned for years to open council subcommittee meetings to the public, said she would not sign any argument produced in such a meeting.

“I refuse to meet in private on this issue,” she said.

Council members Tony Kranz and Lisa Shaffer said they also wanted the ballot argument created in a public meeting.

And initiative supporter Lynn Marr said she thought Gaspar’s football comparison wasn’t appropriate. “I think analogies can be good, but it’s kind of a false analogy — it’s not a game,” she said.

The initiative will be the only item on a special election ballot on June 18. It aims to control development and limit building heights in Encinitas. It would require a public vote to change a property’s zoning or increase its housing density.

The council’s new opposition statement declares that the initiative could result in raising city limits in residential areas and nullifying special community planning documents.

It ends by declaring that the council is committed to making some changes to city regulations to “fulfill the spirit of Proposition A — the right to vote on up-zoning — without the potential adverse consequences” the initiative could create.

Among other things, members are considering eliminating an exemption that allows them to approve major zoning changes without a vote of the people if the proposed development contains a significant public benefit.